Alumni Spotlight - Terry Rasmussen (MetE 91)

Alumnus' behind-the-scenes work cultivated Mines-Nucor relationship

 

When Terry Rasmussen (MetE 91) graduated from South Dakota Mines, he never imagined he’d go on to have such a big role in the university’s history. But on April 21, he found himself on campus with his colleagues at Nucor, celebrating the company’s $5 million gift – the largest yet for the university – for a new Mineral Industries building. 

“I certainly didn’t think when I graduated that I’d be doing this, but it was my relationship with Dr. [John] Keller that kept me in touch with the university and thinking about what we could do to make the relationship between Nucor and Mines better,” he said. 

Terry, now metal shop coordinator in Norfolk and coming up on 30 years with Nucor, started as a metallurgist and went on to hold a number of positions with the company. In the early 2000’s, he and Keller started to realize the potential for recruiting Mines students to Norfolk and throughout Nucor.

Terry started to post jobs with the university and come out to career fairs, which led to hiring several interns.  

“It can be difficult to convince qualified people to move to Norfolk from Pittsburgh or Chicago, for example, and we noticed there were a lot of Mines students who were a good fit for Nucor,” he said.

Not long after, Mines alumni were working in multiple divisions within Nucor, peaking the company’s interest in developing more of a relationship with the university.  

“There are just such great students at South Dakota Mines that it got to the point where I wanted to see those students throughout Nucor and bring that Mines drive, innovation and work ethic throughout Nucor,” he said.

That led to more recruiting efforts and eventually an endowed professorship for Dr. Keller. But an especially important step in the partnership happened in 2014 when Terry arranged a meeting between Mines students and John Ferriola, then CEO of Nucor. The students proposed Nucor give an additional gift focused on a new mineral industries building – and the proposal was accepted on the spot.

“Then it was my job to make sure it all happened, which was quite an assignment. I’ve been working on that ever since,” Terry laughed. 

The Nucor Mineral Industries Building will advance the future of science, engineering, and technology while increasing environmental stewardship and catalyzing economic development in the region. 

Terry added that all of the departments at Mines have been extremely helpful in Nucor’s efforts to grow the relationship over the years. “It’s not just metallurgy, it’s mechanical, electrical, civil, computer science – almost every department. They’ve all been great to work with.”

As he reflected on the beginnings of his interest in science and his decision to change gears and attend Mines instead of the University of South Dakota, it was all about finding the right fit for him. Now, years later, he’s helped many Mines students find their fit within Nucor. He’s also helped Nucor find its place – literally – on the Mines campus. 

“For Nucor to have our name on this building means a lot,” he said. “This is something that could take Mines into the next 100 years. I’m glad I’ve had the opportunity to be a part of that during my career.”

Above: Terry Rasmussen (left) with his Nucor colleagues at South Dakota Mines in April 2022.